PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya City’s latest attempt to tackle the notorious chaos of Soi Buakhao with a proposed one-way traffic system has been met with cautious approval from many expats and long-term visitors. While foreigners generally welcome any effort to bring order to the city’s most congested street, few believe that the new system will be properly enforced — or even respected.
For years, Soi Buakhao has been a symbol of everything unruly about Pattaya’s traffic culture: food carts blocking lanes, parked songthaews and motorbikes narrowing the already tight road, and motorists weaving in every direction as if traffic laws were optional.
“Anything to calm down the chaos is good,” said one long-term resident. “But unless they remove the food carts that take up half the lane, nothing will change. Everyone just piles up behind them while they stop to do whatever they like.”
Others questioned whether the city’s history of poor enforcement would make any difference. “One-way, two-way — it doesn’t matter,” another expat commented. “Look at Second Road. It’s already one-way, but taxi drivers do whatever they want. Who’s going to enforce it? Pattaya City Hall and the police? Don’t make me laugh.”
Several suggested alternative solutions, such as converting Soi Buakhao into a pedestrian-only zone at night, similar to Walking Street. “Close it to traffic after 7 p.m.,” one commenter proposed. “Let people walk safely and enjoy the area without dodging cars and motorbikes.”
Others criticized the city’s approach as a superficial fix. “Clear all the junk vendors from the side of the soi first,” a bar owner said. “There’s no need for one-way if the sidewalks and lanes were kept clear. This is just a cop-out.”
The frustration reflects a broader skepticism among foreign residents who have watched countless “new traffic rules” in Pattaya fade away within weeks. Many believe the problem is not the plan itself — but the lack of discipline and consistent enforcement.
As one expat summed it up bluntly: “One way, two ways — in Thailand, the only way that matters is whatever way they’re going.”
